10.2.11

Today is LIVESTRONG day… will you join me in wearing yellow?

The last few months have been full. Travel, work, getting ready for baby, weddings… it can keep you pretty busy if you let it. As I reflect on what the real meaning of LIVESTRONG is, I realize how important the concept is to everyone who is fighting the cancer battle- not just those diagnosed.

I’ve always said that cancer is a team sport, as fighting with Daddy showed me over the years. As a family member of someone who died from cancer, I am thankful for the Lance Armstrong Foundation for many reasons, but mainly because it provides information, resources and support for people as they begin their own battles. I know that LIVESTRONG is partly a play on Lance’s last name, but what I love about it is the challenge to keep living, even in the face of death.

I have a hard time saying that Dad ever really suffered from cancer. I know that there were times when his chemotherapy treatments left him feeling like crap, questioning whether it was worth it to put his body through another round. But, if I’m being honest, Dad did a whole lot of living while he was supposed to be suffering. And that’s the whole idea behind LIVESTRONG, who’s mission is to “fight to improve the lives of people affected by cancer.”

I used to think that by wearing my yellow bracelet, I was just supporting him and what he believed in, but over the last year, I’ve realized that I too am one of those “people affected by cancer.” And to be honest, I haven’t always done a good job of living strong.

At the end of July I traveled back to camp to surprise many of the people I love. I did it to see them, but I needed it more for myself. As I stood there, enjoying the beauty of the Northwest, I thought back over how much had happened since I left. How much my life had changed, how many tears I’d shed, and how much I’d grown. It was a hell of a year, but as I stood there, surrounded by people who had loved and nurtured me, I realized just how blessed I was. I had been throwing myself a pretty big pity party before I went to camp, and as I looked down at the bracelet that has all but become a part of my left wrist, I remembered that, unlike Dad and so many others, I still have the chance to livestrong.

Daddy once shared with me that he wore his LIVESTRONG bracelet one of two ways- facing him when he was undergoing treatment, and facing out when he was helping others fight the battle. Today, I wear mine facing out, and hope you’ll join me in fighting.



For more information about LIVESTRONG and the Lance Armstrong Foundation, you can visit their website here.